undergraduate institution

Maybe I have no idea, but what they really care about is their statistics and a 4.0 from Anartica University Basket Weaving will make it look like they admitted a 4.0 student. Almost an entire law school admissions decision is based on your index number, which is the pure number of your UGPA x. Your LSAT score. I think the formula is on LSAC somewhere, but your UGPA NUMBER nothing else matters in determing your index number.

Maybe I have no idea, but what they really care about is their statistics and a 4.0 from Anartica University Basket Weaving will make it look like they admitted a 4.0 student. Almost an entire law school admissions decision is based on your index number, which is the pure number of your UGPA x. Your LSAT score. I think the formula is on LSAC somewhere, but your UGPA NUMBER nothing else matters in determing your index number.

I understand what you are saying, and I mostly agree. I do think you are underestimating the degree to which any school considers soft factors (not to say that GPA/LSAT isn't the main factor, but your position of "almost entire decision" is too strong for me), but mainly I think you are incorrect specifically as to the top 3-5 schools.

There is applicant ceiling effect. Virtually everybody with 4.0/180 stats (or close to it) will apply to YLS/HLS, and virtually everybody will go to YLS/HLS if accepted - yet those schools report averages around 3.9/174. If those schools wanted to simply jack up their average students stats they could - but they don't want to. If for no other reason than that there is ceiling effect there as well - when you are close to the max, it mathematically requires greater numbers to make a small change, so there is less bang for the buck for admitting a 4.0/180 in terms of moving the average.

There are also other things that play into the USNWR rankings than student stats, and the top schools care deeply about those as well. Clearly the top schools want to make sure that their stats don't drop - but it makes no sense for them to focus solely on the matrix score either.

And, of course, empirically the top schools simply do not admit the students with the best matrix scores.

Actually, coming from CAD might actually help you at some schools because your international student status would help fulfill their diversity requirements and it might set you apart from other applicants.

I'm not saying anything Morten hasn't already said, but schools at the top of the food chain don't care so much about their ranking and more about putting together a good law school class. Good grades in underwater basketweaving will not impress in that regard.

So I guess it comes down to where in the food chain an applicant is targeting.

The formula for how much weight is given to the LSAT or the GPA depends on the school. Some schools are more open about the formula (and you will be able to find it or plug your stats into LSN and see where you fit in their scale) and others hide it.

(from Bigs) "Almost an entire law school admissions decision is based on your index number, which is the pure number of your UGPA x. Your LSAT score. I think the formula is on LSAC somewhere, but your UGPA NUMBER nothing else matters in determing your index number. "

I probably spoke a little to broadly, but odds are the OP is not going to get into a top 3-5 school. Nothing against them, but there is a 90% chance they won't score on the 90% of the LSAT, which is the prerequisite to having a top 3-5 school even consider your application.

If the OP gets a 172 awesome! However, I am not betting on him/her or anyone to bust a 172 out on the LSAT. So the best thing to do when going into undergrad with the ambition of going to law school is to first choose a respectable major that you enjoy, because there is a strong chance that after 4 years you might not even want to go to law school anymore. The differences between when you are 18-22 are DRASTIC. However, if they maintain the goal they should get a decent degree and throw in a few free A's in weighlifting, basket-weaving, etc. That is just playing the game a little bit having a 3.6 instead of a 3.4 because you throw in some Free A's along the way is just smart and it certainly won't hurt you.

I probably spoke a little to broadly, but odds are the OP is not going to get into a top 3-5 school. Nothing against them, but there is a 90% chance they won't score on the 90% of the LSAT, which is the prerequisite to having a top 3-5 school even consider your application.

If the OP gets a 172 awesome! However, I am not betting on him/her or anyone to bust a 172 out on the LSAT. So the best thing to do when going into undergrad with the ambition of going to law school is to first choose a respectable major that you enjoy, because there is a strong chance that after 4 years you might not even want to go to law school anymore. The differences between when you are 18-22 are DRASTIC. However, if they maintain the goal they should get a decent degree and throw in a few free A's in weighlifting, basket-weaving, etc. That is just playing the game a little bit having a 3.6 instead of a 3.4 because you throw in some Free A's along the way is just smart and it certainly won't hurt you.

Playing the game a little bit is probably okay. I have to admit I grabbed an easy A or two in college. Not that it helped or anything.

It might have you never know. A free A just can't hurt you that is all I am trying to say. Since there is almost no effort to get those free A's in basketball, weightlifting, flag football or whatever it may be in undergrad you should throw them in there. Especially considering they are usually fun to do anyways, you might as as well throw them in on your transcript. If it doesn't help you then no harm done and maybe it will give you the edge in an admissions decision or for scholarship consideration by having a 3.6 instead of a 3.4.

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amyis

Graduating with High Distinction, the highest conferred upon undergraduates at UofT, is 3.5 and above. In my graduating class of nearly 700 in my department only 30 graduated with high distinction (i.e. GPA of over 3.5).

Also, reputable US schools have been known to add points to a Canadian GPA because of our standards. One US educated student I spoke to had his GPA reduced by Western (UWO) by .3 when he applied for his masters there.